Equality in Education Bill 2015

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

The proposed law would stop publicly funded schools from giving children priority or refusing them places because of their religion, so admissions would have to be non-discriminatory. It would also remove outdated rules that let faith teaching be built into normal class time, require religious instruction to happen outside the standard curriculum, and ask schools to update their ethos policies with parents and children. It matters because it aims to make school access fairer for minority faiths and non-religious families, and to bring Irish schooling closer to equality and inclusion standards.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to repeal without exception provisions of law allowing for discrimination on religious grounds against children in admissions to school; to mandate the Minister for Education and Skills to modernise the curriculum and to provide for related matters.

Last updated 19 February 2020